Canadians Open to Freezing The Yanks
While Carney earns strong support on tariffs, Canadians express doubts about Poilievre and remain open to retaliatory measures
New polling from Research Co is shedding light on how Canadians feel about the United States, the threat it poses, and how Canadian leaders are handling the situation with US tariffs against the Canadian economy.
Mark Carney remains firmly in the driver’s seat, with 57% of Canadians saying they approve of his handling of US tariffs on Canada, while another 32% disapprove of his performance thus far.
That’s far ahead of Poilievre who, while not in charge of policy decisions in Canada, is still responsible for his and his party’s approach to the issue. Canadians aren’t thrilled with Poilievre’s handling of the issue, with 30% approving of him on this front, and a larger 54% disapproving.
Provincial premiers are facing a wide array of support from their constituents, unless you’re Danielle Smith in Alberta. Smith ranks the lowest, with 36% of Albertans saying they approve of her handling of US tariffs, while 53% of Albertans disapprove.
Ontario’s Doug Ford and Quebec’s François Legault are on a similar playing field on this question, with 42% of Quebecers approving of Legault’s handling of US tariffs, while 45% of Ontarians approve of Ford’s handling of them. Both premiers sit at 43% disapproval.
BC’s David Eby is performing the best, with 59% of British Columbians approving of his handling on this front, compared to 29% who disapprove, leaving him ahead of the pack.
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Poilievre’s handling of US tariffs seems to be reflected elsewhere in the survey, as Research Co asked whether Canadians believe a Conservative government would be better positioned to deal with the tariffs implemented by the US.
That question found 54% of Canadians disagreeing, saying the Conservatives wouldn’t be in a better position to deal with the issue, while 35% say the opposite, believing the Conservatives would be better suited.
Despite 72% of Conservative voters agreeing with the idea that a Conservative government would be better off handling US tariffs, that does not extend to strongly conservative voting provinces like Alberta and the central Prairies.
Albertans are no more likely to say a Conservative government would be better off on this issue than Atlantic Canadians or Ontarians, with Quebecers being the only notable outlier on this front.
Regardless of who Canadians believe would be best suited to handle the issue, it’s clear that they’re still willing to punch the Americans back if push comes to shove.
The survey also asked whether Canadians would support the federal government in seriously considering an array of potential retaliations to US tariffs. The most popular of the batch, with 62% support, is the suspension of all steel, aluminum and wood exports to the US until Trump completely removes the threat of tariffs.
Another 59% of Canadians say they would go a step further and support shutting all energy exports to the United States.
Canadians say they would support Canada officially demanding an apology from the US President in regard to his comments about Canada becoming an American state, with 57% agreeing as much.
Lastly, 51% say they would support Canada recalling the Canadian ambassador to the United States in response to Trump’s statements about Canada becoming an American state.
All of this is not anger in a vacuum, as Canadians have been dealing with the looming threat of American aggression for years now. Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats are just an extension of an already strained relationship with our southern neighbours.
When Research Co asked respondents whether they believe American tariffs are still a threat to Canada, more than three quarters of Canadians say the tariffs are still a threat today.
Liberals are the most likely to agree with the assessment that tariffs are still a threat, with 86% agreeing, with 76% of Conservatives and 73% of New Democrats not far behind.
Yet, Canadians have to not only deal with America’s economic threats, but also the potential for American military action, and most Canadians aren’t willing to write off potential actions against our nation as a result.
Among all Canadians, 53% say that America is definitely or probably a threat to Canada militarily, while 37% don’t believe that America is a threat. However, it should be noted that 28% of that 37% say that America is probably not a threat, while only 9% are confident in saying America is definitely not a threat militarily.
New Democrats were the most likely to say America poses a military threat, with 68% agreeing as much, compared to 60% of Liberals. Even a plurality of Conservatives at 46% say that America poses a threat to Canada militarily, compared to 43% who disagree with that.
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